DragonFable: The Ravenloss Saga
by DixPixie
Summary: Karin so far has been doing a pretty good job being the Hero. Honestly, that thing that happened at Serenity's Inn last week totally wasn't her fault. A single moment of clumsiness sends her falling head-first into the dust of another adventure, but this one might reveal more to her about herself than she thought. Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Ravenloss

Ravenloss

I lay sprawled across the hard dirt, staring up into darkness, my head still reeling from my nose dive into the portal back in Falconreach. _Honestly_, I thought to myself, _what kind of Tog-brained idiot would place a portal where some poor unsuspecting hero could trip and fall on her ass?_ My leisurely stroll through the town had been brought to an abrupt and painful ending when my toe had caught on the edge of the overgrown portal and I had gone tumbling head-first into the swirling purple depths, finally being spat unceremoniously onto the unforgiving ground.

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the haze following my oh-so graceful fall, and attempted to sit upright, sneezing at the dust that tickled my nose. I rubbed my bruised backside through my armor, grumbling about stupid portals and where I would stick my sword when I found whoever put it there. My scowled faded as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, revealing to me a massive city that littered the floor of an enormous cavern, the ceiling of the cave so high I could barely make it out through the darkness. A thick layer of dust covered everything and terrifyingly large spider webs draped themselves from the corners of stout buildings and tall towers that were decorated with windows and doors of smooth archways. Crimson chimneys poked from steepled roofs and the tips of the towers nearly joined with the enormous stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The portal had dumped me at the top of a small hill, and the city stretched for several miles in every direction. _Where in Lore am I? _I pondered to myself. _I've been all over the place, so how come I've never found THIS place before?_

My ears twitched as they picked up the sound of footsteps, unusually loud in the eerie silence of the cavern. My hand went instinctively to the hilt of the sword hanging from my hip and forced myself to remain still, fixing my eyes in the direction of the echoing footsteps. I relaxed only slightly when the footsteps revealed themselves to be human in the form of a young man, most likely in his mid-twenties, mounting the crest of the hill. Still, I knew better than to let my guard down. While I mostly had to worry about getting attacked by ravenous monsters on my many adventures, I knew from experience that a human was more than capable of sticking a knife between my ribs. As he came to a stop before me, I tensed for a speedy retreat, but was stopped when he extended a hand as an offering to help me to my feet. "Well, this is certainly a surprise," he said, his voice low and slightly gruff from lack of use, "but, I must say, it is good to see another human in this dark undercity." I was hesitant to take his hand, seeing the strange gauntlets that encased both of his arms up to his elbows. They were made of a dark blue metal, trimmed with a frostier blue and adorned with a single gleaming gem of a vibrant purple. The gauntlets tipped his fingers with sharp claws. Nonetheless, I was tired of sitting on my ass on the cold ground and grasped his hand firmly with mine. The strength I felt when he hauled me to my feet was evidence enough that this man had been in a tussle or two.

I brushed the dust from my armor and tossed my dark auburn hair over my shoulder, trying to regain some form of dignity in front of this stranger before letting myself get a good look at the face of my new companion. His was a rather unusual look (well, unusual in the human sense of the word). His skin was very pale, even more so beneath the shock of silver hair that spiked in a jumbled mess from his head and the little goatee of the same color on his chin. His eyes were a dark shade of yellow beneath harsh silver eyebrows, and a dark scar crossed between them, curving over the bridge of his nose. The sudden rush of heat to my face surprised me. He was actually kind of…cute.

"Hehe, well, this is embarrassing!" I stuttered, hoping the gloom combined with my swift distraction was enough to hide my red face. "Terribly sorry to drop in here like this, but it wasn't exactly my choice. But, I gotta say, it's nice to have a welcome wagon that isn't gonna try and kill me for once!" I paused, "You're…not gonna try and kill me, are you?" I asked raising an eyebrow in his direction. He answered with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"No" he stated, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long coat.

"Oh, hehe, good" I said, rubbing my arms. I realized that this was going to get really awkward, really fast if I didn't change the subject soon. "Well geez, where are my manners? You can call me Karin, seeing as how my full name is ridiculously long and slightly embarrassing. Whom do I have the pleasure of sharing this incredibly awkward meeting with." I said, holding out my hand. He seemed reluctant to respond to my witty dialogue, but I could still see a shadow a of smile flicker across his features. Check 'make my new friend smile' off of my mental agenda.

"A SoulWeaver on a mission," he said accepting my handshake, "My name is Tomix. I wouldn't happen to be addressing the Heroine of all of Lore, would I?"

"Indeed you are." I said, offering a big grin in return. "And tell me, Tomix, what would you be doing here in this dark hole?"

The somber expression returned to his face as he turned and looked out over the dusty city. "I am here because I need to fix a terrible mistake. Something I did that should NEVER be done. I was wrong, and now I have to make it right." His sudden change in mood immediately set off my Hero Senses. At that moment, I committed myself to help Tomix in any way that was physically possible. I crept around to stand beside him with my hands clasped behind my back, leaning forward and gazing up into his face.

"Need help?"

My question seemed to surprise him as we both faced each other again. "It won't be easy," he said slowly, "It won't be safe. We won't have much help."

I cocked my head and gave him a look. "Are you kidding me?" I asked, placing both hands firmly on my hips. "If you've heard about me, you should know that 1) it wouldn't be fun if it was easy, 2) I wouldn't be a hero if things were 'safe', and 3) I'm the only help you're ever going to need."

The ghost of a smile swept across his face again. "I suppose we should get started then. Maybe if we're lucky, my SoulAlly Aspar will assist us from time to time, but I would welcome your help down here."

With that, we began to descend the slope of the hill. The abandoned buildings loomed past, standing like sentinels watching our approach, unseen eyes watching us from their hiding places within their dark doorways. "Speaking of here," I began slowly, feeling slightly paranoid in this strange new place, "Where exactly are we?"

Tomix looked at me out of the corner of his eye, obviously rather familiar with the dusty road we walked upon. "This is Ravenloss, a city under Falconreach, which is a town I imagine you know well." I nodded my understanding. The fact that the city was underground certainly made a lot of sense given the enormous spires of rock dangling from the ceiling. "Ravenloss is occupied by the Chaosweaver spiders, a race of beings which was once just like us," His nose wrinkled in disgust at the statement, "but you will no doubt learn more about those later. It is home now to many species of arachnids, as well as other dark creatures. I suppose it is a good thing that you are here now."

"Wait wait wait," I interrupted, "Did you say Chaosweavers?" Tomix nodded his reply, "Ugh! I hate those bastards! A few years ago, they broke into Falconreach and stole a bag full of dragon eggs! I was cleaning spider webs and bug-guts out of my armor for a month! You know anything about those eight-legged creeps that would give me a good reason to squash 'em again?"

My outburst seemed to amuse Tomix, who smirked and told me, "I know little more than you. The history of the Chaosweavers is known only to the highest members of the School of SoulWeavers, as well as a few specialists. What little knowledge I possess has been enough to keep me alive as I continue my quest."

"I'm just upset that I didn't bring my Squishin' Boots" I said, returning his smirk. He was a tad less amused by my attempt to keep the mood light.

"Anyway," he continued, brushing off my jest, "I haven't explored the town yet; up until now, I have been studying the runes on that gate for clues about the city." He gesture with his chin toward a tall gate that loomed in the distance, higher even than the roofs of the houses nearby. A strange energy seemed to hum around the stone arch and the eight keyholes that marked the sides of it. Jagged runes laced the edges.

"Woah…" I marveled, "Amazing but… what exactly is so important about this gate?" Tomix shook his head slightly.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure myself. The runes on this gate call it the Equilibrium Gate, and it does seem to have some sort of significance. But, its locked." We came to a stop before the gate, blocked from going any further by the wall of purple stone that filled in the space within. Tomix looked up, yellow eyes sweeping over the runes carved deeply into the surface of the gate. "I've had some luck decoding the runes, but I still need to study more to figure out where all the keys are," he continued. His eyes narrowed, giving a look of fierce intensity to his already serious face. "All I know is we're almost certainly going to have to get inside it." He finally turned to me and looked me in the eye with the same intense expression. "Things are always in the last place you look, and we're going to have to go everywhere else before we can get in THERE." He finished, gesturing back at the gate.

The passion of his voice disconcerted me. I started to hope that I hadn't gotten myself in over my head again. _C'mon Hero!_ that reckless part of my brain yelled at me, _You can handle this! _

_Watch yourself Karin, _the rational part cautioned me, _This guy seems like a loose cannon, you don't know what will happen if you stay down here…_

Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of ignoring that little part of my brain.

"Where do we start?"


	2. Dusk Alley

Dusk Alley

Several hours' worth of searching the abandoned city brought us our first destination: Dusk Alley, where Tomix said the first key to the Equilibrium Gate was hidden.

"Soooo…" I began as we made our way through the damp corridors of the alley, "What was this mistake that we're trying to fix here?" I had been burning to ask since he mentioned it, but I didn't want to pry. But then, of course, my curiosity got the best of me once more. I tried to read his face, hoping desperately that I hadn't offended him, but his head was lowered and his features cast into shadow.

"I…" he sighed lightly, "I was young… and foolish and… defied the laws of the Headmaster of my school." He pulled a hand out of his pocket and glared coldly at the metal of his gauntlet, "Now it is up to me to hunt down the Corrupted Elemental Spirits I conspired with so that I can atone for the wrongs I've done." His fingers tightened into a fist that he shoved ruefully back into the pocket of his coat.

"Corrupted Spirits? Is that why you're here?"

"Yes. Corrupted Elemental Spirits should NEVER be used in SoulWeaving. They taint the material forever. The spirit I followed here, Greed, corrupted the Cauldron Sisters until you saved them, but he won't stop there if he has a chance."

"Right, I remember that," I recalled the memory of that one Mogloween, when I had arrived to find the sisters fighting like I had never seen them fight before, and the little yellow imp with the sharp teeth that we found as the one responsible. "I can't tell you how much it freaked me out when I saw the sisters fight like they, especially since they're so close. If Greed is able to break up a family like that, I don't think I wanna know what he's planning on doing next." Tomix nodded in agreement.

"He is only one of the seven Corrupted Spirits I need to find and destroy. Most of the others I've taken care of, but Greed, Lust and Envy are still on the loose," he stopped, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly, "I MUST destroy them!" My eyebrows knit together.

_Alright, that's It,_ I thought to myself, _There's no way I'm gonna leave this guy hanging now! _I took hold of his arm and grasped his hand firmly in mine. He looked up in surprise and I could feel myself choke up at the sorrowful look in his yellow eyes. "And I'm gonna help you do it," I promised, now in full-on hero mode, "Whatever it takes, you can count on me!" He gave the smallest smile of what looked like relief before letting go of my hand to resume our trek through the alley.

"With any luck, we'll find Greed here and put an end to it all the faster." His voice was still somber, but I could tell by the way he stood a little straighter that my promise had taken a little weight off of his shoulders. I allowed myself a victory grin. Check _'make my new friend feel better'_ off of my mental checklist.

My victory was short lived. A low hissing from a darkened doorway made both of us freeze in our tracks, my hand instantly flying to the pommel of my sword. There was the whistling sound of metal flying through air and the alley exploded into a whirlwind of activity. The ChoasWeaver's scythe passed through the air where Tomix and I had been standing only a second ago and the monster hissed in frustration. I was on it the second its spindly legs clacked against the cobblestone, my blade biting through flesh and carapace alike. It fell to the ground with a curdling scream, six of its eight legs severed at the joints, and acid green blood spurting from the wound in its chest. I whirled around and intercepted another soldier's blade with my own, just as it came at my exposed neck. With a heave, I pushed the ChaosWeaver back, making a quick survey of the narrow alley to see Tomix dueling with yet another soldier, triangular blades of violet light bursting from his gauntlets and tearing into his opponent. Satisfied that he was holding his own, I turned back to my own opponent, only to jump back as its scythe came screaming toward my head. I thank it by plunging my sword halfway into its throat.

I spun back to aid Tomix, but stopped to watch when I saw him not only handle, but _decimate_ the three Chaosweavers that fought against him. He moved ridiculously fast, littering the battlefield with after images of violet light as he seemed to teleport from one place to another, the blades of his gauntlets slashing the soldiers caught in his furious dance to ribbons. At last, the final soldier collapsed to the ground in a puddle of its own blood and the alley became silent again. Tomix looked up to see me grinning like a maniac.

"Oh, my, gosh," I breathed, "That was AMAZING!" I gestured to the destroyed ChaosWeavers around him.

"Karin…"

"I mean, you just ran right through those guys and they dropped like flies! That was incredible!"

"Karin…"

"How did you do that? You gotta show me how you did that! Geez, that was just SO cool!"

"KARIN!"

"What?" I asked. He didn't need to yell at me, I wasn't deaf.

Tomix just raised an eyebrow and stuck out his thumb, pointing in the direction leading further into the alley. I flushed and mentally chided myself for going on a tangent when there was work to do.

"Right, sorry, the mission, yeah," I walked up to him, pulling a cloth from my bag to wipe the green gore from my blade. I nudged a dead ChaosWeaver with my foot and sighed, "And here I was thinking this was going to be easy. Silly me." This earned me a smirk.

"Come on, we still have a key to find." He said as he led the way into the depths of the alley.

We remained silent then, staying alert for Choasweavers and the like. Little bothered us save for a few oversized spiders that were promptly squished beneath our blades. It seemed the further we traveled into the alley the darker and danker it came. I officially put this place under Ominous Castles and Dark Forests on my list of 'Places that give me the Creeps'. Every once in a while I could swear that I heard someone, a little kid, crying from one of the corridors that branched from the alley. Tomix warned me to ignore them when I told him. "ChaosWeavers may be monsters, but they were human at one point. They are aware of human weaknesses," he said.

"It's a dead end…" I moaned. We had wondered through the alley for hours, looking through side passages and doorways, and finding nothing that would point us to the key. Now, we stood at the very end of Dusk Alley that held nothing but a few bags overflowing with trash. I had lost all sense of time in the underground city and it felt as though my armor was rusting in the humid air. I was pretty sure my hair was frizzing too. "C'mon Tomix, the key isn't here, let's go." I put a hand on his shoulder and he turned, looking disappointed.

One of the bags shivered and we froze.

"He is here…" Tomix hissed. The bag trembled again and something small and bright yellow popped out, clearly making for a hasty escape. "HALT!" Tomix cried and his gauntlets flared to life. He threw his arm forward, spectral chains flying from his fingertips, catching the small creature and pinning it to the wall in a cage of violet light. Now that it was trapped and stationary it was obvious what it was. It was nothing but a small sprite, shaped like a skull with a ghostly tail and glowing bright yellow; a Greedling, one of Greed's minions. I remember them from when Greed invaded Falconreach during Mogloween.

"A Greedling! You were one of the ones hiding around Falconreach, weren't you?" I asked, almost feeling sorry when the little thing shivered with fright and nodded frantically. It was obvious that Tomix didn't feel the same.

"Why are you here?! Where is your master?! Speak!" he demanded, the fierce look on his face enough to make the Greedling tremble even harder.

"I don't think it knows how to speak, Tomix." I told him. He only narrowed his eyes and stretched out his hand, his arm glowing with power. He flexed his fingers and the chains around the Greedling contracted. The sprite thrashed and squeaked in pain before Tomix relaxed his hand and the chains loosened.

"I… Left behind. Master is…is…" it stammered in a shaky high pitched voice, before shaking itself viciously, crying, "NOOO! Not tell! Can't tell!" Now I just felt bad. The poor thing was so terrified.

"Come on, little Greedling. Tomix here won't hurt you." I soothed, even if I knew that statement wasn't necessarily true. The Greedling looked at me with enormous eyes and curled up as tight as it could.

"…Pellow Village." It squeaked, barely audible. It visibly flinched .

"Where is that? Is that near here?" I asked Tomix, who's glare had turned to realization at the Greedling's words.

"That name…" he pondered, "I've seen it on the Equilibrium Gate, in the runes near the top."

"That must be the place behind the gate then." I mused before turning back to the Greedling and smiled gently, "Is that it, little Greedling?" It nodded frantically again, its whole body bobbing with the gesture.

"What does Greed want in there though?" he glared back at the Greedling and raised his hand, "Do _you_ know?" he clenched his fingers and again the chains squeezed the sprite until it let out a squeal. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy Tomix. Easy. Look how scared he is." I chided. Reluctantly, Tomix relaxed his grip and the magic grasping the chains ceased.

"Master… wants… Judgment Wheel!" the Greedling sputtered, "He wants to be…" he gasped with excitement, "Human! He will be immortal Human, he say. But… but other ones want it… too."

"The other corrupt Elemental Spirits?" I urged. Again the sprite nodded.

"He says he… has to get it… first. No see him… anywhere. Must be behind GATE! Must get to Master!" the Greedling began to pull at the chains, desperate to break free. "Letmego Letmego Letmego! Plsplspls gotta go gotta go!" It truly was a sad sight.

"Aw, let it go Tomix. It's can't do any more damage without Greed." Tomix paused, but eventually cut off his magic. The Greedling broke free as the chains shattered into violet shards and went racing off through the alley, calling his master's name. I watched until its cries faded before I turned back to Tomix. He stood with his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets.

"I've GOT to get behind that gate." He said, "If Greed is there NOW, he has plenty of time to search for the Judgment Wheel. He must NOT succeed!" I strode up and stood in front of him, crossing my arms.

"WE have got to get behind that gate," I told him sternly, "You can't take this on alone."

He looked me in the eye and heaved a sigh, "You're right, Karin, I need you for this." He conceded.

"That's right," I paused, "But, what if he DOES succeed?" Tomix's face was grim.

"At his current power level, Greed can corrupt an entire town. If he achieves his goal, if he becomes an immortal human…" he trailed off, "He will turn all of Lore against each other. Wars of avarice and greed will cripple societies. There will be no place in our world for Kindness or Love. Or anything good." He finished.

Steeling my resolve, I replied, "We just won't fail then. We CAN'T fail. It's as simple as that."

Tomix nodded his agreement, then stepped over the pile of trash, reached in, and produced a key of a light lavender color, the handle shaped like a cloud. One down, seven to go.


	3. Weaving Emporium

Sorry that this one is a little short, but only so many things happen during these quests!

* * *

Weaving Emporium

It was several days before I returned to Ravenloss. As much as I wanted to help Tomix, my duties to Falconreach and the rest of Lore came first. So after a good night's rest at Serenity's Inn, restocking all of my supplies, and getting Yulgar and bang out all of the dents in my armor, I tracked down the portal to Ravenloss and made sure to make my entrance as graceful as possible to compensate for my last one. Tomix was absent from the hilltop, so I made my way down to the gate where I was certain I would find him. Sure enough, there he sat at a makeshift table, pouring over parchments covered in runes. He looked up at the clanking of my boots, an excited (well, excited for Tomix) look on his face.

"Karin! It's good you're back. I've just decoded information on the Flax Key." I gave him a skeptic look, "It's what the gate calls it," he said, rolling his eyes, "Anyway, it's in the Weaving Emporium. I'm not surprised to find one there either."

"Oh, good. I don't suppose piles of satin and wool will attack us," I laughed, "But finding one key in a whole building full of fabric and weaving instruments… I can feel the danger LOOMing in the horizon!" I nudged his arm with my elbow and gave him the biggest smile I could muster. His face remained completely deadpan. _Geez, tough crowd_ I thought to myself.

"Not THAT kind of weaving Karin," he said with an added glare for effect.

I punched him lightly in the shoulder, "Oh, cheer up Tomix." I teased, "We'll find your key! And probably trouble too." I added as an afterthought.

The Weaving Emporium stood tall amongst its neighbors and its archways and windows glowed an eerie purple. The skittering of insect legs could be heard from where we stood outside its door. Sure enough, the moment we stepped inside Chaosweavers descended on us, each wielding a pair of ridiculously large needles. They were fast, faster than their soldier counterparts, but no more a threat. The two of us together took them down in a flash of magic and steel until they lay still beneath the glowing spools of thread coiled within the glass globes that hung from the ceiling.

The sound of one such globe rolling across the floor made both of us start. "Who's there?" I called. From behind a large pile of thread, a figure cautiously stood. A young woman with copper-colored hair stared with surprise in her large purple eyes. I narrowed my eyes. _Is she human? _I wondered, _if she is, what's she doing in a place like this?_ "Who are you? What are you doing here?" I demanded. I knew I was being a little harsh, but years of the hero business had a tendency to make you a little paranoid. She began to extract herself from her hiding place, picking at the threads that had caught around her ankles.

"Don't you know it's dangerous here?" Tomix asked in with equal authority, "There are Chaosweavers everywhere! You will get hurt if you stay here!" The young woman froze and fixed Tomix with a glare that would've burnt holes into his face. Finally removing herself from the thread, she stood straight and dignified.

"_I _can take care of myself, thank you very much!" she retorted, the scorn in her voice matched to her expression, "besides, I've been studying Chaosweavers for a while now, so before you go accusing me of being where I shouldn't, you should ASK me what I know!" she folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. I had to admit, she had some guts standing up to the two warriors she just witnessed slaughter a battalion of Chaosweavers. "_That _would show you I know how to take care of myself!" her eyes flickered to me briefly, her glare softening. "A warrior like Karin traveling with you…" she gestured at me with a hand, "Karin I've heard of. Everyone has." I allowed myself a smug grin and nudged Tomix with my shoulder.

"She's right ya know," I said. Tomix only glowered at me with a look that said _Shut the hell up Karin_ before returning his attention to the young woman.

"If she is with you… you're definitely doing something important. I can tell," she said. "I have skills, I could help!"

Tomix looked her up and down before inclining his head slightly. "Thank you, miss…"

"Riadne," she offered, "My name is Riadne, Arachnomancer Adept. And you are?"

He tilted up his head and answered, "I am Tomix, a SoulWeaver on a mission." I rolled my eyes at his theatrics and planted a heavy arm on his shoulder, forcing him to fix his stance beneath the extra weight.

"What he means to say is he's Trouble," I tease, coaxing a smile from Riadne and a snarl from Tomix, "But that stylish goatee of his seems to make you forget all about the danger." I could've sworn I saw Tomix turn bright red out of the corner of my eye as he growled my name menacingly and shoved me off of him. I coughed innocently in reply and folded my hands behind my back.

Straightening his coat in an attempt to retain his dignity, Tomix bowed slightly to Riadne and said, "I would be… very grateful if you could tell me what you know of the Chaosweavers, Riadne."

She smiled and bowed back. "Of course," she said, "Since you're a SoulWeaver, I'm sure you know some of this. But I'll tell you what I've learned." She cleared her throat and continued:

"Chaosweavers are a faction of SoulWeavers, but they split off from them a long, long time ago. They are skilled in the mystical arts and are VERY power-hungry. Just listening to them talk, it makes me shudder to hear what they do to people who cross them. They are evil. All good drained out of them by the strange mind-sickness which changed them into the half-human, half-spider they are now. They follow their own desires. They weave with wicked Elemental Spirits, not like SoulWeavers. The strange weaving incident that changed them, I don't know much about. I need to study them more."

"Wow, you've learned so much!" I said, truly impressed by the information she had gathered. "I had no idea Chaosweavers…"

"Were like that?" Tomix finished for me, "Neither did I. So much information about them is restricted to the highest levels of SoulWeavers." He nodded his thanks and I followed suit. "Thank you, Riadne. You _have_ helped us a good deal." Riadne smiled sweetly.

"It was my pleasure, Tomix. Anything I learn, I will be happy to share with you."

"Yes, thank you , Riadne. I think that whatever you find out will be incredibly useful if we want to take out these creeps. Right, Tomix? Tomix?" I looked to find Tomix looking intently at Riadne, a thoughtful look in his eye. That weird heat from the first time I met him threatened to overwhelm me again. I waved my hand in front of his face a few times. "Tomix!" he finally looked at me, seeming a little dazed before his stoic-SoulWeaver-face was back up. "Come on, we've got to go. Riadne's going to keep watching and learning," I assured him, "WE have got to find that key."

"Right. You're right, Karin." We turned to offer our goodbyes to our new friend, "Until next time, Riadne."

We fought our way through the Emporium, artisan Chaosweavers lying in wait for us around every corner. The time we had spent talking to Riadne had given them the opportunity to regroup. I had been fighting alone for so long that I had almost forgotten what it was like fighting alongside someone else, to have someone there to bail me out of trouble. At one point, when four Chaosweavers had surrounded me and I was frantically trying to _not _get skewed on the tips of their giant needles, Tomix had appeared out of thin air, driving his soul blades into their necks. For so long I had fought alone, relying only on my own strength. Having Tomix there made me feel just a little safer.

We found the flax key hidden amongst discarded spools of glowing neon soul threads. Tomix shot me what was slowly becoming his trademark smirk before depositing it in the deep pocket of his coat. The warm feeling had spread down into my stomach.


	4. Market District

MARKET DISTRICT

I found Tomix in the exact same spot I had the time before, bent over his charts and diagrams and studying them feverishly. He didn't even look up when he heard me coming, instead rolling up a map and sticking it in his pocket saying, "We're headed to the Market District this time, Karin. I'm almost certain that's where the Ember Key is hidden."

I smirked and patted him on the back, probably a little harder than was necessary. "Oh good! I need to pick up some groceries anyway!" This time he didn't even react, evidence that he was already getting used to my amazingly witty dialogue.

Ravenloss's center disappeared behind us as small stalls began the line the road around us. Hoping to drown out the crescendo of insect noises, I asked Tomix: "Soooo, what exactly is a SoulWeaver? You haven't told me yet."

He kept his pace, his eyes casting suspicious glances behind dusty counter tops as he answered. "A SoulWeaver is an Adept in the art of weaving with Elemental Spirits. Using SpiritLooms, which each SoulWeaver must forge by themselves," he pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out to me, the dark metal of his gauntlet gleaming, "they are able to weave with an Elemental Spirit partner. Together they can create cloth which never gets dirty, cannot be destroyed by force, and can even change color depending on the wearer's moods. It will also grow WITH the wearer."

"So, your coat?"

He nodded his head, but I couldn't help but notice the sudden slump in his shoulders. "This coat was the first thing I ever wove but… that was back when I made my mistake. I was just a student at the time and didn't possess my own SpiritLooms, so I used the Headmaster's…" he trailed off. I didn't prod him to tell me more, knowing that it was touching on a sensitive subject. We traveled on in silence, winding our way further and further into the growing forest of tents and stalls. The air grew thick with the smell of old meat and rotting fruit, but I forced myself to breathe, thinking that I might as well get used to it. "We should start in the center and work our way out," Tomix said. "Keep your eyes open for the Ember Key."

"Will do," I replied, eyes sweeping cautiously across the dirt road. It was eerie how desolate the marketplace was in spite of how cluttered the stalls made it. The shrieking of monsters could be heard through the gloom. Tomix and I remained on edge, moving as silently as we could.

The air was dead in the marketplace, not even a breeze to stir the trash on the streets. My nerves had grown tight, paranoia gnawing at my gut. I had learned in my travels that stillness in a monster-infested area was never a good sign. My eyes began to play tricks on me as I swore I saw flickers of movement in the corners of my vision, my hand twitching on the pommel of my sword. Tomix looked as though he fared no better, his dark yellow eyes darting back and forth, his jaw tight and fists clenched.

A shadow moved in the recesses of a tent. _Ok, I know I didn't imagine that one,_ I thought as I launched myself forward, tackling Tomix to the ground as a large Death Widow spider sailed over us, hissing in fury. The knife from my boot found its way into one of the spider's eyes with a skillful flick of the wrist and it reared back, roaring in pain. I sneered at it in satisfaction.

A small cough drew my attention and I looked down before suddenly finding me face to face with Tomix, still lying on his back with me crouched over him. Embarrassment flooded my face and I wheeled back, blushing furiously. I quickly scrambled to my feet and turned away hoping to hide my face. Tomix chuckled dryly and stood, dusting off his coat. I felt his hand on my shoulder and I peeked out from the shelter of my hands, giving him a sheepish smile. "Sorry," I said, sounding pitiful even to myself.

"Its fine," he said, "I thank you." I lowered my hands and my smile turned a little more appreciative. Reluctantly, _Save my new friend's life and make them owe me_ was checked off my mental agenda. I always hated when that happened and yet it happened every time, and then they would feel as though they owed me a debt and could only settle it by saving _my_ life in return. So far, nothing all that bad had happened, but I always feared the day when one of them would take a blade for me and then they would be gone. I only hoped that Tomix wasn't going to be that person.

A low hiss interrupted the moment and the two of us turned to face a very angry spider, green blood coursing down its ugly face from where my knife stuck out of its eye. It snapped its pincers and stomped its legs, crouched and then charged.

Its funny how when, in the heat of battle, two people who are fighting together seem to be able to read each other's minds, synchronizing perfectly to pull out victory from the air. Tomix and I only looked at each other before we simultaneously stepped to the side, flanking the charging arachnid and dismembering its legs as it flew by. What remained of its body crashed to the ground and its severed legs twitch feebly at our feet. I casually strolled up to it, looked it straight in its remaining eyes, pulled out my knife and drove it deep into its skull.

Tomix strode to my side, looking slightly impressed as I ripped the blade from the spider's ruined carapace, wiped it clean and stuck it back into my boot. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Let's" and we walked away from the dead spider, feeling slightly relieved of tension… until I turned a corner and found myself before a massive ChaosWeaver. At least, I thought it was a ChaosWeaver. Its face resembled one, but it stood on two legs, covered from head to toe in armor. It was nothing more than a statue. A well carved and highly detailed statue, but a statue nonetheless. A small figure kneeled before it, wrapped in a tattered brown cloak. I held out an arm as Tomix attempted to follow me, stopping him before he could startle it.

I kept one hand on the pommel of my sword, slowly approaching the small figure, trying to keep my tread as soft as possible. As I crept around the side, I was just able to see beneath the rim of its cloak, stopping in my tracks at what I saw. The only name I could describe it with was a ChaosWeaver child. Large white eyes gazed up at the statue reverently from a black face. Its clawed hands were clasped almost in prayer as it hunched over eight spindly spider legs jutting from a small thorax. Before I could move to get a closer look, the small creature seemed to notice my presence, its head suddenly snapping up to fix me with a frightened stare. I could feel the emptiness in those blank eyes as it held me in its gaze. My eyes started to burn and I blinked, but the creature had evaporated into thin air in that brief flash of darkness. I found myself staring intently at the place where it once was, as though it would suddenly reappear. In fact, I almost hoped it would.

I jumped at the hand that came down gently on my shoulder, whipping around my head in a panic to meet a pair of yellow eyes. It took a moment for me to realize that I was looking at a face, and that that face belonged to Tomix. He was shaking me slightly, asking me, "Are you alright?". I shook my head vigorously, suddenly shivering from the chill I wasn't aware had crept up my spine. "I'm fine," I replied in a shaky voice, "a little disturbed, but fine." I glanced back to the foot of the statue where the little ChaosWeaver had so previously been. "What _was _that?"

Tomix followed my gaze, eyes lingering on the statue. "I think it may have been the child of a ChaosWeaver, abandoned here by its parents. What it was doing here, I have no idea. Come on; if one was here, there's no telling how many more may be lurking nearby." He placed a hand on my elbow and softly led me away until the fearsome statue was lost among the peaks of the tents. Once my nerves stopped jumping, I began to think. _The child of a ChaosWeaver_, I speculated, _they must be so enthralled in their desire for power that they just abandoned their children to fend for themselves. That's kinda sad. Must be why all of them are so crazy. I know I would be too if I was left in a place like this._

Our footsteps suddenly began to echo as the road widened, opening into a round plaza paved with worn cobblestone. Tomix came to an abrupt stop and a glanced at him in confusion, become even more confused when I saw that he was smiling. _Genuinely_ smiling. Like with teeth and everything. In the center of the plaza was a man. Well, not necessarily a man per say. For starters, he seemed to float just above the ground, his toes just barely brushing the street. His skin was jet black, so deep that he would have practically blended into the gloom if not for the violet glow that illuminated his features.

"Aspar!" Tomix shouted and the creature turned. Wisps of light trailed from fuchsia eyes. Tomix took off, seeming more enthusiastic than I ever thought possible for him. I followed at a much more cautious pace. The creature Tomix called Aspar smiled warmly as we approached. "It is good to see you, my friend," he greeted Tomix, "Very good indeed. I have been worried. And I found this," Aspar reached behind his back and pulled a key from nowhere. Flames wrought from red steel decorated the handle. "I know that you have been looking for them. I thought you might want it." Tomix's smile grew even wider. I was seriously beginning to get weirded out. Tomix had always struck me as the type that did dark and brooding, and little of anything else. Seeing him this happy was just plain strange.

"Aw, you know I can take care of myself, Aspar," he said sheepishly, "I've come this far without help." I started at his words before I snorted and crossed my arms. _What am I then? Chopped Liver?_ I thought bitterly. Tomix shot me a glance and his grin turned back into the smirk I was used to. "Well, not without a LOT of help," I stuck out my tongue at the back of his head as he turned back to Aspar. "Thanks for finding that key," he added as he took the key from Aspar's hand and slid it into his pocket. The grin returned as he continued, "And now I even have Karin! What could go wrong?"

"Yeah, thanks for just jinxing our entire quest Mr. Uncannily Optimistic," I said as I walked to his side, "And Tomix? …Who is this?" I asked, jerking a thumb in Aspar's direction. The look Tomix gave me was incredulous.

"Who is _this_?" he asked back, clearly taken aback by my apparent ignorance. He flung a gauntleted hand to gesture at the creature who seemed quite pleased with himself, "This is ASPAR! He saved my life. He is the Elemental Spirit of Kindness. And he is my closest friend, my SoulAlly. Without him, I would be lost. Nothing." Tomix sobered, seemingly deep in thought.

"Then it is a pleasure to meet you Aspar," I said to the spirit with a small bow. _Any friend of Tomix is a friend of mine_, I thought. He smiled in return.

"I am sure we will grow to be close friends as well," he replied.

"So, how did you and Tomix meet? Just out of curiosity," _damn me and my curiosity_. Aspar seemed surprised, but spoke nonetheless.

"That's a, well, I wouldn't call it a _funny_ story exactly," he began slowly.

"It is a foolish story," Tomix interjected, the brooding expression back up on his face, "It was at Edelia, the school of SoulWeaving. And I had accepted a very stupid challenge."

"From a boy who wanted only to harm you," Aspar added sternly before his face softened again, "But he is buried in obscurity now, and no one with remember his name. He is dead to history, while you…" The spirit placed a hand on Tomix's shoulder, "You will be remembered. He may have issued the challenge which cost you so much, but ultimately you won. And I am with you." Tomix gave his friend a small smile before his face became bitter.

"I accepted the challenge to weave a coat using the Headmaster's SpiritLooms. He had trapped seven corrupted spirits within them," he said.

"I heard rumors of the fight, and was drawn to them," Aspar told him, hand still upon his shoulder, "I had been watching you grow for a long time." _Okay, that's a little creepy_, I couldn't help but think. Tomix just looked surprised. "You had?" he asked.

"You were- ARE- destined to be great," Aspar continued, "I am attracted to greatness, drawn to it." _Okay, that's REALLY a little creepy_. The two of them just stood there smiling at each other for a little while. Was he gonna start a story and just leave it on a cliff hanger?

I cleared my throat loudly to catch their attention and they both turned to stare at me, puzzled. "So," I prodded impatiently, "what happened with the challenge?!" The two backed away from each other in embarrassment. After an awkward moment, Aspar spoke again. "He used a forbidden incantation, and it consumed him," Tomix looked away, his face colored in shame, "His face turned pale, and his hair changed from a deep crimson to the silver you see now," Tomix visibly flinched as the spirit spoke, "And his eyes… they WERE blue. Now, they are not."

I couldn't take my eyes off of the young man; trying to envision him the way that Aspar described he was before. Tomix ducked his head beneath my scrutiny, refusing to meet my gaze. "The spirits I tried to weave with were stealing the life energy from me," he said in a soft voice, "But Aspar saved me."

"I will always try to be there to save you, Tomix," Aspar said, once again completely ignoring me, "I will be around, nearby if you need me."

"Thank you my friend,"Tomix replied. "Karin," he called and I blinked, not realizing that I was still staring at him.

"Oh, so you finally remembered that I was here, huh?" I asked, trying very hard to be obnoxious for the utter lack of happy atmosphere. Tomix rolled his eyes.

"We should get back to the gate. We still have five more keys to find."

"Whatever you say chief," I said, giving him a little mock salute. I turned and gave Aspar a small bow, "It was nice meeting you Aspar," I told him and the spirit smiled, perhaps a little too widely.

"I am certain that we will see each other again soon."

With that, we left the elemental spirit in the plaza.


	5. Silkwood Park

SILKWOOD PARK

I woke up bright and early the next morning to meet Tomix outside of the Gate. I began talking before he could even greet me. "Hello Tomix!" I greeted him cheerfully, "I have a good feeling about today. Let's go! You can tell me what key we're searching for on the way!" I strode past him, entirely amused by the confounded look on his face. He just sat there before hesitantly getting up and following me. "So," I started casually as he drew up beside me, "have you decoded any more of the runes yet? Where do we go next?" Tomix nodded.

"I have, and we're headed to Silkwood Park," he answered, "We are hunting for the Shell Key this time." He paused, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "And I-" he cleared his throat, "I'm glad you met Aspar. You can see why I depend on him." I smiled as his face faintly flushed but didn't speak right away. As much as I knew that Tomix relied on the spirit as a source of comfort and friendship, there was something about Aspar that just rubbed me the wrong way. I sincerely hoped that my doubts would prove false, but my hero instincts had yet to fail me. I nodded slowly as I realized that Tomix was looking to me for a reply.

"He seems to be a…" I began, trying to pick my words carefully, "very good… friend." Tomix seemed to sense my apprehension but said nothing as the buildings of Ravenloss shrank behind us and tall trees took their place. We stopped at the mouth of the path leading into the gloom. "Now, let's go get that key!" I said with renewed determination. He answered with a brisk nod and led the way into the twisted forest.

It was eerily calm within the park; not a breath of breeze to rattle the bare branches of the trees. The trees themselves seemed to be dead, rotting the bark to a dark brown. As in the city, freakishly large spider webs were draped through the tree limbs. Enormous mushrooms grew in the dark crevices, glowing a radioactive green. Movement flickered in the darker recesses of the trees.

One such shadow scurried from the dark; a curious creature that closely resembled a sneevil, but possessing a long pointed snout. It stared at us with large blind eyes, nose twitching. Two sharp spades were held in its clawed hands. I couldn't get to it fast enough; lightning had leapt from Tomix's hands and struck the dry ground at the creature's feet. It let out a high-pitched squeal before bounding away into the bushes.

"What?" he asked, seeing the look I shot him, "We don't have time for this!"

"You could have saved some for me…" I pouted, sticking out my lip.

He rolled his eyes and gestured sharply, "Come, we much of the park left to explore. The key could be anywhere."

"Alright, alright, keep your coat on, I'm coming," I grumbled and followed Tomix deeper into the park.

It wasn't long before another sound stopped us; a heavier tread than the sneevil, and with a lot more legs to boot. Concealed behind the trunks of dilapidated trees, Tomix and I could make out the large silhouettes of ChaosWeavers, taking what could have been considered a leisurely stroll through Silkwood Park and speaking to each other in low raspy voices.

"ChaosWeavers?!" I hissed to Tomix hidden behind another tree close by, "What are they doing here?"

"If I were to judge, I'd say they were once noblemen," he whispered back, "higher up in the echelons of ChaosWeaver society. This park could potentially be a meeting place for them. We'd best remain alert." I couldn't argue with that as I followed Tomix, sneaking through the undergrowth and trying out best not to draw attention to ourselves.

"It's clear," I told Tomix as I extricated myself from the brush and back onto the dirt path, grumbling as I pulled twigs and leaves from my hair.

"I thought those ChaosWeavers would never leave," he sighed, brushing off the shoulders of his coat, "Now we can finally get back to searching for that key-" Tomix stopped short, his eyes widening as he stared down the road.

"Tomix?" he didn't respond when I called his name. I followed his gaze, trying to see what had him so paralyzed. There, at the fork in the path stood another figure. A single glowing red eye stared us down from the shadowy depths of a hood. Hands were shoved in the pockets of a tattered crimson cloak. "Tomix?" I repeated, hoping to shake him from whatever stupor the sight of this person had put him in, "Who is that? Do you know him?"

His lips moved only slightly, a breath of air that sounded a lot like "Murk".

"What?" I prodded, desperate to get something out of him. Without warning, his arm shot out and he grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the woods on the other side of the path. Before the view was crowded by trees, I looked back, only to see the figure turn its head and watch us disappear.

Tomix only stopped when we had reached an entirely new part of the park. Pulling my hand out of his, I gripped him by the shoulders. He had turned even paler than he already was, breathing deeply to try and regain himself.

"What the heck was that?" I asked him, my voice low and serious. Tomix raised his head and looked at me, and I saw the fleeting fear that reflected in his eyes for a moment. He drew and cleared his throat.

"I'll tell you later," he said lamely before turning away and stepping back out on the dirt path- only to duck as a thick beam of azure light shot over his head.

My blade was drawn even before I reached his side. In the clearing, floating a foot or so off the ground near a cracked stone bench, was one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen (and that's really saying something). It appeared to be made of some kind of black stone, cut here and there in lines like circuits that glowed a bright blue. A large ring floated above what might have been its head.

It did nothing further to attack us, but the longer I stood there, the more the air began to feel oppressive, as though its very presence were trying to crush me. I shifted my stance only slightly and the thing sprang to life again, focusing its attention on me, another beam of light shot from the ring. I dove out of the way, rolling on my shoulder and springing back up, a maneuver that brought me closer. I managed a stab at it before it reacted again, my blade nicking a slice off of it's rounded surface. I leapt back as another beam scorched the ground where I had been standing.

Tomix had moved silently as I distracted it, hands seething with purple light. I continued to dance around the creature; several shots came so close that I could feel the heat on my face. _That's right, I'm right here buddy_, I thought, making sure it didn't sense the SoulWeaver creeping up behind.

In a flash of light, Tomix's claws bisected the creature into two clean halves. It fell like a stone, the azure light dying from its circuits before fading away into nothing, leaving absolutely no trace that it had ever been there other than a few patches of scorched earth. Immediately the air felt lighter.

"What in hell was that?!" I asked aloud.

"I have no idea," Tomix offered so very helpfully, "But was it just me, or did that thing feel…"

"Like a ChaosWeaver?" I finished for him. It had hit me just then; that feeling of asserting domination, the destructive will of the ChaosWeavers.

"Exactly," he replied. He shook his head, "I'm liking this less and less."

"Couldn't agree more, but come on, we still have a key to find. Let's just hope that we don't run into anymore of those things."

Tomix nodded in agreement. And the two of us ventured further into the gloom of Silkwood Park.

At last, after what seemed forever, we ended in a little courtyard. In the center stood the statue of a woman, surrounded by overgrown rose bushes. Something dark blue glinted from the undergrowth.

"Tomix," I said tapping him on the arm, "I think I found the key."

He flashed the first smirk I had seen all day. "Excellent."

As I went to retrieve the key, the bushes began to rustle. "Tomix?" a small voice spoke from within. Riadne's copper head poked out from the foliage.

"Riadne!" Tomix voiced in surprise, moving closer.

"Tomix!" Riadne's face lit up at the sight of him, "I-"

"I was-"

"Worried about you," Riadne finished, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She cleared her throat awkwardly, seeming to notice me standing there for the first time. "I followed the ChaosWeavers here," she continued, "It seems I just missed overhearing a big meeting."

"Keep watching them," Tomix replied, his Serious SoulWeaver Face back up in full force, "I know you can find out more. We almost didn't notice you, you were so well-hidden."

"Be careful though," I felt obligated to add, "We've seen a new creature here in Ravenloos. I think-" I paused, trying to phrase what we had seen earlier, "Based on what you've observed and what I'm learning from watching Tomix watch them…"

"I have and idea," Tomix answered my unasked question, "I will tell you both when we meet Riadne again, when I am more sure. And we WILL meet again."

"I'm sure of THAT," I retorted, feeling the need to lift the atmosphere a little, "You look around for her ALMOST as much as you watch my back." Even as I said it, I wasn't sure why I did. Riadne had flushed a light red again.

"I'll be careful, if you will Tomix," she turned and nodded to me with a smile, "And Karin too, of course."

"Of course," I replied and returned the smile. "C'mon Tomix, we have somewhere to put this," I said, holding up the decorative key.


End file.
